Common PDF Uploading Issues: IMM5710/IMM5709/IMM5257 Application Forms in IRCC Portal

There are a few reasons this could happen.

1. Your version of Adobe Acrobat Reader is out of date.The forms you need to validate use special encoding. You need why and how to fix the issue (or higher) to use them.
2. You’re using a cellphone, tablet or other mobile device.The barcode forms don’t work on these kinds of devices.
3. You’re missing information in mandatory fields.Mandatory fields are those marked with an asterisk (*).

   When you click on the validation button, the PDF checks that you entered all the mandatory fields. If any are not complete, you won’t be able to validate the form

4. The dates you entered are conflicting or not in the right format.Dates must be entered in the format of (YYYY-MM-DD)

   You won’t be able to validate the form if you enter conflicting dates, such as

   • using a date in the past for the date you plan to travel to Canada
   • entering a future date for your birth date
5. You entered special characters into the form.You cannot use special characters on our forms including spaces. Make sure to remove any spaces in fields that should be empty by pressing the backspace or delete button you may have entered by mistake.

There are also 2 known technical issues:

1. Mac users: the new version of Adobe Acrobat Reader (DC) may cause some issues.
   • Download an older version of Adobe Acrobat Reader (11.0.10)
2. JavaScript: The validation feature needs to use JavaScript within Adobe Acrobat Reader.Solution:
   • To turn JavaScript on, open Adobe Acrobat Reader, click on “Edit,” then “Preferences,” then “JavaScript.”
   • Check the box beside “Enable JavaScript” and click OK.

After making any changes or downloading new software, download a new version of the form and re-enter your information.

When you upload your application form, our system checks the PDF to make sure it includes all the mandatory information. It also compares what you entered to the answers you entered in the online questionnaire.

If there is any missing information or differences, you might see the following message:

To avoid getting an error

• Leave the UCI field empty if this is the first time you are applying or if you don’t remember your Client ID.
• Make sure you are eligible to apply. Example: You can’t extend or change your status if it has been more than 90 days since your previous one expired.
• Don’t upload a scanned version of the application form. When you apply online, you don’t need to physically sign the form.
• Try uploading the form using the latest version of Edge, Safari, Chrome or Firefox.
• Review your information and make sure your documents are not expired.

The file formats you can upload depend on which online account you use.